The Dom is the most massive peak on the ridge separating the Matter and Saas valleys. It is technically one of the easier 4000er in the area, but the physical demand is huge. You have to tackle more than 3.100 meters of vertical from the parking lot to summit this peak, which is the third highest in the Alps.

You will not find another mountain in the Alps with a vertical rise as great as Dom’s. The Dom, by the way, is also the highest mountain standing entirely on Swiss territory.

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Further Info

There is no ski-lift to Domhütte, so you really do have to walk all the way from the village of Randa. That's a lot of vertical meters on both days, which is why this mountain is more challenging than Mont Blanc.

D graded climbs None of our package trips do this level, but you can request an expert to accompany you for your D or higher graded project.

Culture shock grading

As far as the cultural environment of your country/area of destination, we have set up grades to indicate what degree of culture shock you may expect.

Your usual cultural environment, no big surprises in relation to Anglo/Saxon way of life

A little different than what you are used to at home, but no big suprises

Your trip is a cultural experience in itself, with amusing differences form what you're used to at home.

This is a different world; you have to significantly alter your expectations and behaviour.

Possibility of extreme culture shock; forget any rules you may have brought from home, life runs completely differently than what you can even dream up.

Physical Difficulty

4

Technical Difficulty

3

Cultural Shock

1

Itinerary

Day 1: Meeting in Randa (1.408 m) and hiking up to Domhütte (2.940 m)

After meeting in the parking lot, you pack up and start strolling out of the lovely little town passing the church and eventually entering the pine forest. Going all the way through the trees and leaving them behind as you gain altitude, you’re on grassy slopes approaching a big rock caldron.

Over rock steps and ledges, you come across some fixed ropes (wires, actually) to help you as you gain more and more altitude. Soon you take your first steps on the Festi-Glacier, which takes you to Domhütte (2.940 m). Have a nice rest and eat up on carbohydrates – you’ll need everything you’ve got the following day!

Day 2: Summiting Dom (4.545 m) and retiring to the valley after a huge day

Be prepared for a real early rise. Following the trail from the hut, you soon find yourself on the glacier. The ice is covered by rocks on this part of the glacier. Following the length of the glacier, you are looking at a stripe of rocks where you find fixed ropes to aid you with climbing. Now you are trekking on morena again and you come to some easier, grade II rock with some exposed ledges to climb to Festi pass at 3.723 m. Descend just a bit to Hohberg glacier and pass under impressive rock walls and around huge blocks of ice. Now, the glacial slope gets steeper and steeper (all the way to 35 degrees) towards the northern ridge, which takes you to the summit.

Nice going, but you’re far from being done! You need to descend 1.600 meters to get back to the hütte. This may be one of the longest, most strenuous days of climbing you’ve ever done.

Day 3: Walking back down in the valley

Descend back down the same way you came up. Keep turning back around to take some pictures of Mischabell Group’s highest summits. The descent should take 2-3 hours depending on how tired you are and on your appetite for photography.

Equipment and Info

Weather

Although you are going in the summer, alpine summer is a lot different from what you’re used to. You need to prepare yourself for rain, snow and cold; 6-8 degrees below freezing in the mornings at 3.000-3.200 m. If you need advice on clothing and equipment, let us know in the form below. Your guide will be more than happy to help.

Equipment

The price includes equipment hire, so you need not worry about technical gear. Of course, you may bring your own gear if you prefer, but regrettably, we can’t discount the price of the trip should you bring your own stuff. What you do need to bring is good climbing boots broken in, so they won’t hurt your feet. Here is a list that may be helpful to get yourself organized before the trip:

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Your Guides

CBM's mountain guides have to meet serious professional and personal requirements before they can join our team. Their professional skills are measured according to an objective system of criteria. For climbing trips in the Alps, our guides must hold a valid IFMGA/UIAGM certification. Of course, we don't want you to be in uncool company, so we only work with guides we're happy to be around ourselves. Your CBM guide will know when to be empathic and when to give you a needed kick in the butt to make the most out of your trip. :)

About Us

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